Niger: Boko Haram militants raided a prison in the southeastern border town of Diffa but were repelled after a heavy exchange of fire. (AFP)

Nigeria: Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau said that the group would defeat the proposed AU regional force in a newly released video. (AFP)

Somalia: A lawmaker was killed in Mogadishu by al Shabaab gunmen. (Reuters)

AMERICAS

Haiti: Carnival is to begin amid heightened political tension with a call for a general strike on Monday and Tuesday to demand deeper cuts in fuel prices and the resignation of President Martelly. (EFE)

Mexico: Argentine forensic experts raised concerns about a government probe into the abduction and suspected massacre last year of 43 trainee teachers. (Reuters)

United States: Government officials and technology security experts are to intensify the debate on the use of “offensive” cyberattacks. (WSJ)

ASIA

Afghanistan: A drone strike in Helmand province killed six people, including a veteran militant suspected of having defected to the Islamic State from the Taliban. (Reuters)

Australia: PM Abbott promised to adjust his approach to governance after surviving a confidence vote on his leadership. (AFP)

China: Officials confirmed that President Xi Jinping will make a state visit to the US later this year. (NYT)

India: Hundreds of armed police and paramilitary soldiers patrolled the disputed region of Kashmir where anti-India separatists called a strike. (AP)

Thailand: The US said its relationship with the country was going through a “challenging” period as the two sides began a major military exercise. (Reuters)

EUROPE

Region: German Chancellor Merkel is to brief US President Obama on the latest peace plan for Ukraine ahead of a four-way summit. (AFP)

Region: Spanish FM Garcia-Margallo said the EU suffered 21 billion euros in lost exports as a result of sanctions against Russia over Ukraine. (AFP)

Greece: European Commission President Juncker advised the country’s new government not to assume the euro zone would accept all of the policies proposed by PM Tsipras. (Reuters)

Russia: The Kremlin said that President Putin would not tolerate ultimatums over Ukraine after a report said Germany had given him until Wednesday to agree to a peace plan or face new sanctions. (AFP)

MIDDLE EAST

Iraq: A suicide bomber attacked a Shiite-majority area of north Baghdad killing 14 and wounding at least 43. (AFP)

Jordan: Military officials said the country’s Air Force carried out 56 airstrikes against Islamic State weapon depots and training camps in Syria and Iraq in recent days. (WP)

Yemen: Shiite rebels met with political rivals for the first time since dissolving parliament and making their top security body the de facto government. (AP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Technology: A new report claimed that serious gaps in security and customer privacy affect nearly every vehicle that uses wireless technology. (NYT)